6th Company
Introverted by nature and role, the Astartes of the 6th Company, of the Knights Vigilant Space Marine Chapter, are those Astartes known for their expert marksmanship, general aloofness and detachment from the rest of the Chapter; Indeed, their Raven Guard progenitors and their battlefield role helped cement their positions as long-range support for the rest of the Chapter, for better or worse. Founded by 6th Marshal Ulysses, and formerly led by the traitorous 6th Marshal Kotov, the 6th Company has had a turbulent history within the Knights Vigilant. It is currently led by 6th Marshal Verrian Lernaean. The Company itself largely follows the teachings of Corvus Corax, Primarch of the Raven Guard, especially dealing with Sniper-equivalent training and Reconnaissance. The 6th Company generally believes in their own abilities, eschewing the larger view of honor and glory on the battlefield, which has garnered a controversial reputation with the rest of the Chapter and the Adeptus Astartes at large. Regardless, the 6th Company is a valuable asset to the Knights Vigilant, having started and stopped entire wars having only to fire a single shot, ending a myriad of threats from Ork WAAAGH!s, planetary rebellions, to full-scale wars from heretics, xenos, and daemons alike. History Like all things hidden and kept secret, the history of 6th Company has largely been unknown to the Chapter and the Imperium at large, as many a stain has been struck upon the Company's history to which the Astartes of the generally silent company would like to better forget. Nevertheless, earliest records indicate the 6th Company was founded by the first 6th Marshal Ulysses, who created the current tactical doctrine of long-range support and ambush tactics resulting in a unique Company with personalities and strategies not found anywhere else in the Chapter, and remotely few within the Adeptus Astartes themselves. Heralded as the largest Company for a time, the strength of 6th Company has waxed and waned throughout history, as they have been delegated to other Companies for other positions. For the 6th Company, there is no larger goal than the completion of the battle, honor, and glory being afterthoughts of the missions they complete. To the Astartes, there is no greater goal for serving the God-Emperor of Mankind and the Imperium than to eliminate their foes from afar. Battle of Gregory's Landing One of the first deployments with other Companies of Knights Vigilant, where the entire Chapter was deployed on the Hive World of Gregory's Landing, against a massive Chaos Warband of Khorne Berzerkers. With the first true deployment of the 6th Company with other members of the Knights Vigilant Chapter, they were unsuited to the close-ranged melee combat that the warriors of the Blood God Khorne favored. The bloody fighting, which was designed and a swift and decisive win against a much larger Warband caught off guard, turned into an almost week-long battle. In the end, the 6th and 9th Companies ended up taking the heaviest losses- with half of the Astartes of 6th dead, and almost a third of the 9th killed. Outraged, 6th Marshal Ulysses blamed Grand Marshal Crab for not sending reinforcements to a largely understrength Company not suited to fighting in close combat against the World Eaters, Grand Marshal Crab responded that there were none to spare, as the entire Chapter had been fighting against the Warband, further commenting that many elements of the 6th Company, including the Librarian, did little to help in the fighting. The Chapter largely returned to the Shattering Sun, Fortress-Monastery of the Chapter. 6th Marshal Ulysses however, was angered. The Schism of the Knights Vigilant had begun. The Schism 6th Marshal Ulysses felt that Grand Marshal Crab had brushed him off, believing his comments to be insulting against the losses that the 6th and 9th Companies had taken, and had done nothing to help or replenish their lost gene-seed that they needed to recuperate from their losses. Calling a vote within the Marshals, and garnering support from the 4th, 9th, and 3rd Company Marshals, a vote to replace Grand Marshal Crab with another leader had been called. However, treachery was at hand, as the 9th Company Marshal Matthus and 3rd Company Marshal Rebel did not inform their Companies of the vote, causing a Chapter-wide split, with those emerging supporting Grand Marshal Crab, and the others supporting 6th Marshal Ulysses. The 3rd Company was especially enraged at their Marshal, to which Veteran Sergeant Malius at the time, confronted his Marshal directly and demanded an explanation to his actions, where the 3rd Marshal found his Company standing against him. Tensions boiled and finally exploded when the 9th Company invaded and eventually occupied the Reclusiam onboard the Shattering Sun, and refused to leave. The 3rd Company was plagued with infighting as 3rd Marshal Rebel and Veteran Sergeant Malius drew their swords. The 5th Company was tasked with removing the 9th Company from the Reclusiam and employed non-lethal Power Mauls to subdue their Astartes brethren. The 8th Company, staunch supporters of Grand Marshal Crab, stormed the hangar and drove the 4th Company away from using the various Air vehicles of the Chapter against the supporters of Grand Marshal Crab, dubbed the loyalists. Meanwhile, the 7th Company, led by 7th Marshal Krasus and 7th Captain Kitten, were conflicted. Initially siding with Ulysses, however, when fully revealed the truth of the matter, sided with Grand Marshal Crab and charged the 6th Company, the turning point of the Schism and would largely decide the fate of the Chapter. In the end, the loyalists vanquished the traitors, those Astartes who supported 6th Marshal Ulysses. Slain by Grand Marshal Crab, 6th Captain Xepherial fell in the fighting and the 6th Company was largely defeated, while the 9th Company was subdued with minimal casualties. Meanwhile, Malius had defeated Rebel, becoming 3rd Marshal in his stead after reluctantly finishing off the 3rd Marshal, who in his last act was deeply troubled by his actions and repented and begged for the Emperor's Peace. With the 6th Company in shambles and the 8th Company taken extreme losses, 9th Marshal Mattus having been killed by 5th Marshal Varitus Alvaritus, the Schism had come to an end, at a terrible cost. While largely forgiven, the 6th Company began rebuilding. All had been forgiven, but the bonds of unity were forevermore fragile within the Chapter than ever before. Notable Campaigns War of Redemption In the aftermath of the Schism, the 6th Company began rebuilding their numbers. After 6th Marshal Kotov was appointed Marshal of the 6th Company, battle after battle continued to hack at the numbers of 6th Company. By the events prior to the War of Redemption, there was a total of only three Astartes; Kotov, Modibus, and Verrian. After the ascension of 1st Captain Pudis to Grand Marshal after slaying Grand Marshal Crab in a trial by combat, the 6th Company felt the sting of betrayal; 6th Marshal Kotov and 3rd Marshal Uriel Sedd had betrayed the Knights Vigilant, having hired Ork Warboss Dakkasmasha of the Blood Axes to use his WAAAGH! to distract the Knights Vigilant to make their escape. Tasked with assisting the 1st, 5th, and 8th Companies in eliminating the Warboss, with hopes of executing swift retribution upon the traitors. With support from Verrian, who was unable to take the shot, Modibus successfully eliminated the Warboss, with both Astartes retreated back to the ''Shattering Sun, ''personally delivering the news to the Grand Marshal himself. What took place was largely unknown, aside from a scuffle that ended with Verrian requiring a new helmet and bionic repairs within the Apothecarion. At this time it was known to 8th Marshal Anthonius and Grand Marshal Pudis alone that Verrian was discreetly transferred to 8th Company and promoted once again to Captain, after being demoted prior to the Schism. Rise of Retribution For a time the 6th Company had no leader, as no member within the 6th Company was willing or trusted to take the reigns of leadership, as Modibus declined the position of Marshal or Captain, wanting to be more of a frontline Astartes rather than a logistical tactician. Discreetly, however, Grand Marshal Pudis had other plans; Following the War of Redemption and the reintroduction of Verrian Lernaean into the Chapter, he was once again discreetly transferred to the 6th Company, with 8th Marshal Anothius under the guise of Verrian being the product of an Adeptus Mechanicus experiment to rid him of his seemingly genetic flaw, somewhat similar to the Black Rage within the Blood Angels Chapter. Revealed to only Verrian however, Grand Marshal Pudis had no such intentions, instead appointing him Marshal of 6th Company out of a gesture of seemingly goodwill. Tasked with once again finding the traitorous 6th and 3rd Marshals, Verrian was given command of a restored 6th Company and their strike cruiser, the ''Engine of Eschaton, ''and given instructions to scour the Segmentum Obscurus. Organization The 6th Company operates a more decentralized command structure, similar to the Raven Guard and that of the Alpha Legion, due primarily to former 6th Marshal Verrian's own gene-seed and tactics of asymmetric warfare and ambushes comprising strategies eerily mirrored to that of the Sons of the Raven. Nevertheless, the 6th Marshal largely has the word of law, seen as a direct command from the most experienced Astartes within the Company. The Company at large organizes itself into squads of primarily two to a maximum of ten Astartes to ensure combat fluidity and flexibility. The Codex Astartes, teachings of the Primarch Roboute Guilliman of the Ultramarines Chapter, is largely ignored, with battlefield experience largely the source of battle tactics and strategies, but the words of the Primarch are nevertheless studied and well respected by the 6th Company. Blind obedience towards any one subject is discouraged, as all Brothers are encouraged and expected to act upon their own initiative so long as these actions achieve the strategic goals of the Company, due to combat situations being studied intently to ensure success and that of future operations, whatever the cost. Proeliators Also known as the Stalwarts, The Proeliators are a newly formed group of those Astartes inducted into the Knights Vigilant who are tested on their psychic potential as Blanks in order to serve as the bodyguards of the 6th Marshal, due to his status as a Pariah, and the fact that many Psykers and Librarians, including the all-psyker 4th Company, would receive serious harm or even death from even the presence of the 6th Marshal, serve largely as the diplomats and Ambassadors in discussion and diplomacy with other Astartes, primarily Librarians and those with psychic potential. They are equipped with Power Swords and Combat Shields, and largely serve to guard the Marshal against accidentally killing any psychic individuals, Astartes or otherwise. Company Culture The Crucible Astartes of the 6th Company are often inducted as Snipers and other roles to provide support for other Companies. Among the indoctrination rites often performed by scouts, is the Crucible, in which the senior members of the Chapter instruct to aspiring Scouts to camouflage themselves with their surroundings, and are given approximately three weeks to make an almost snail-like crawl back towards Astartes territories they are training on, while the entirety of the 6th Company makes every concentrated effort to find the Scout, who is tasked with stopping at random intervals to take sniper shots at specific targets, while a 6th Company Veteran who keeps tabs on the Scout by knowing his location at all times, stands next to the camouflaged Scout and is ordered to fire a shot. If he hits the target and manages to be unseen by the rest of the observing Astartes, he is tasked with continuing on. If he is spotted or misses his shot, he is then forced to make a twenty-four hour backtrack to his last recorded position, and continue on, knowing he will have to accomplish the task eventually. Facing lack of support, battlefield islation, lack of sleep and other factors, the Crucible enables those Scouts training to be Snipers to be masters of infiltration and subterfuge, to achieve the Company's goal in battle, whatever the cost. Trivia Psykers Due to 6th Marshal Verrian being a Pariah and having an entourage of Psychic Blanks, the 6th Company does not utilize Librarians or any type of Psykers, and are assigned the furthest away from 4th Company, largely deligated to long-range combat roles. Regardless, any Astartes inducted into the 6th Company that are seen to possess Psychic potential are immediately transferred to other Companies, primarily to protect the Astartes from potentially dying due to exposure to the 6th Marshal. This action, largely decreed by the 6th Marshal himself, has generated controversy from a large portion of the Chapter, including Grand Marshal Pudis and 4th Marshal Nerak, which has seen the worsening of relations between the Marshals and Companies. The death of Verrian has opened an opportunity to allow psykers into the company. Category:Companies